DUNNETT_ERIC

Sergeant. DUNNETT ERIC GAUL

Born the 17 January 1916, died in 1980 in New Zelande.

"Interviewed in Rennes and then at Dulag Luft."

Dulag Luft Frankfurt 17/7/43 - 2/8/43.

Stalag VIIA Moosberg, Nr Munich 14/8/43 - 21/8/43.

Stalag IVB Muhlberg A Elbe 23/8/43 - 23/4/45.

Eric required for registration. Year 1942, graduation, Winnipeg Canada

Eric Dunett with uniformed flight. The Douglas family departing for England in 1959.

The Account Given of events that took place on the15th and 16th June 1943 about the parachute jump and consequent capture of Sergeant Eric Dunnet.

During the final loop made by the Stirling Bomber before it crashed, the aircrew evacuated the plane, Sergeant Eric Dunnet was one of them, one of the six men who parachuted into the commune of Bais.

Eric Dunnet landed near the farm called ''La Rochette'' at Beauvais in Bais. Francois Couvert, who was 19 at the time, was working with his brothers and his mother in the fields. About 14 00 hrs his mother saw a man coming towards her,being afraid she called to her sons.

The airman asked for something to eat,for a wash and shave and somewhere to sleep. The Couvert boys looked after the airman and he slept for a while. Two hours later a car arrived to pick him up, it was the village baker from Bais, M Carré.

Jean Téhard, the butcher at Domalain had been requisitioed by the gendarmes to go and collect the airman from the farm at La Rochette but he refused as he had to deliver a load of cattle to the station.

His daughter, she who was already out doing the deliveries on her bicycle, happened to bump into the baker M.Carré. A huge storm had just started to rage over the commune and Marie-Therese had become soaked to the skin. The butcher suggested he took her back to his shop in Domalain.

Abbe Rubion, a cousin of the family, arrived at the house and told of how that morning he had gone to Moulins with the Baker and that they were were the first to arrive at the scene of the aircrash.

It was he who found the body of the dead pilot in a field at Vauvert in Moulins. The body of the poor pilot was taken on a cart to the Mairie at Bais. The German authorities quickly collected the body. They did not want the local people to come and pay their respects.

M.Téhard told M. Carré that he had beeb requisitioned to collect the airman from the farm at Rochette in Bais but he hadn't got the time. M.Carré suggested that he could replace him and go and collect the parachutist from La Rochette.

Arriving at Domalain, the airman was handed over into the charge of the three gendarmes since they had to write the report[about 20 00 hrs] and take statements from witnesses [about 16 00hrs].

Whilst waiting for the German soldiers to arrive from Rennes, Abbe Rubion said to the Téhard family that as the airman was soon to be a prisoner,before he was put in prison they should give him a good send off. They should give him a good meal, especially as there was plenty of fresh meat and cooked meats in the butcher's shop.

Abbe Rubion advised the Téhard family that before the the German soldiers took their reprisals, the best idea would be to place the airman in a public place.

{The German soldiers were watching the delivering of the airman from their observation post at the top of the church tower in Domalain which was unusual in its construction and had a magnificent bell tower made from granite that had been built to form a natural observation post. These German soldiers had been present in Domalain since the beginning of the war. There were eight of them, old soldiers billeted in different houses in the district. These oldtimers often said that they didn't want the war, and that the local people were kind and decent and they were kind and decent as well. Every day they came to the butchers to buy their meat.}

The butcher's family took all the food into the local cafe, called ''Cafe Betin'', where the airman had an excellent meal. Later, as The German soldiers arrived, the Abbe Rubion, who spoke good English, being a missionary for the Order of Poor Brothers, asked the young airman if he had a last request before leaving. He replied that he would like to kiss the beautiful young woman Marie-Therese. Just before this he had written his name and address in the tiny dictionary Marie-Therese had with her.

The cafe Betin at Domalain

Before the German soldiers arrived at the cafe they had searched the family house at the farm. Also they had searched through all the hay in the barn with a pitch fork they found,to make sure there were no other Englishmen hidden there. Whilst they were conducting the search they kept all the Tehard family imprisoned on the balcony of their house.

The whole village of Domalain was surrounded by about thirty soldiers for 36 hours, so that no one could enter or leave the village.

Born the 17 January 1916, died in 1980 in New Zelande. "Interviewed in Rennes and then at Dulag Luft." Dulag Luft Frankfurt 17/7/43 - 2/8/43. Stalag VIIA Moosberg, Nr Munich 14/8/43 - 21/8/43. Stalag IVB Muhlberg A Elbe 23/8/43 - 23/4/45.

Eric required for registration.	Year 1942, graduation, Winnipeg Canada

Eric Dunett with uniformed flight.	The Douglas family departing for England in 1959.

The Account Given of events that took place on the15th and 16th June 1943 about the parachute jump and consequent capture of Sergeant Eric Dunnet. During the final loop made by the Stirling Bomber before it crashed, the aircrew evacuated the plane, Sergeant Eric Dunnet was one of them, one of the six men who parachuted into the commune of Bais. Eric Dunnet landed near the farm called ''La Rochette'' at Beauvais in Bais. Francois Couvert, who was 19 at the time, was working with his brothers and his mother in the fields. About 14 00 hrs his mother saw a man coming towards her,being afraid she called to her sons. The airman asked for something to eat,for a wash and shave and somewhere to sleep. The Couvert boys looked after the airman and he slept for a while. Two hours later a car arrived to pick him up, it was the village baker from Bais, M Carré. Jean Téhard, the butcher at Domalain had been requisitioed by the gendarmes to go and collect the airman from the farm at La Rochette but he refused as he had to deliver a load of cattle to the station. His daughter, she who was already out doing the deliveries on her bicycle, happened to bump into the baker M.Carré. A huge storm had just started to rage over the commune and Marie-Therese had become soaked to the skin. The butcher suggested he took her back to his shop in Domalain. Abbe Rubion, a cousin of the family, arrived at the house and told of how that morning he had gone to Moulins with the Baker and that they were were the first to arrive at the scene of the aircrash. It was he who found the body of the dead pilot in a field at Vauvert in Moulins. The body of the poor pilot was taken on a cart to the Mairie at Bais. The German authorities quickly collected the body. They did not want the local people to come and pay their respects. M.Téhard told M. Carré that he had beeb requisitioned to collect the airman from the farm at Rochette in Bais but he hadn't got the time. M.Carré suggested that he could replace him and go and collect the parachutist from La Rochette. Arriving at Domalain, the airman was handed over into the charge of the three gendarmes since they had to write the report[about 20 00 hrs] and take statements from witnesses [about 16 00hrs]. Whilst waiting for the German soldiers to arrive from Rennes, Abbe Rubion said to the Téhard family that as the airman was soon to be a prisoner,before he was put in prison they should give him a good send off. They should give him a good meal, especially as there was plenty of fresh meat and cooked meats in the butcher's shop. Abbe Rubion advised the Téhard family that before the the German soldiers took their reprisals, the best idea would be to place the airman in a public place. {The German soldiers were watching the delivering of the airman from their observation post at the top of the church tower in Domalain which was unusual in its construction and had a magnificent bell tower made from granite that had been built to form a natural observation post. These German soldiers had been present in Domalain since the beginning of the war. There were eight of them, old soldiers billeted in different houses in the district. These oldtimers often said that they didn't want the war, and that the local people were kind and decent and they were kind and decent as well. Every day they came to the butchers to buy their meat.} The butcher's family took all the food into the local cafe, called ''Cafe Betin'', where the airman had an excellent meal. Later, as The German soldiers arrived, the Abbe Rubion, who spoke good English, being a missionary for the Order of Poor Brothers, asked the young airman if he had a last request before leaving. He replied that he would like to kiss the beautiful young woman Marie-Therese. Just before this he had written his name and address in the tiny dictionary Marie-Therese had with her. The *cafe Betin at Domalain* Before the German soldiers arrived at the cafe they had searched the family house at the farm. Also they had searched through all the hay in the barn with a pitch fork they found,to make sure there were no other Englishmen hidden there. Whilst they were conducting the search they kept all the Tehard family imprisoned on the balcony of their house. The whole village of Domalain was surrounded by about thirty soldiers for 36 hours, so that no one could enter or leave the village.